"No, no, no, no!" he said. "Functionality is not the purpose of women. It is true that women should do things, to do things as we all do. The purpose of women is to make harmony, and without women there is no harmony in the world."
In his homily at Casa Santa Marta, the Pope reflected on the Book of Genesis, in particular, the creation of Eve from Adam's rib, saying that just like Adam felt that something was missing in the Garden without Eve, without women, something would be missing from the world.
"When women are not there, harmony is missing. We might say: But this is a society with a strong masculine attitude, and this is the case, no? The woman is missing."
People might think: "yes, yes: the woman is there to wash the dishes, to do things…" Francis said, but this is wrong, he emphasized. "The woman is there to bring harmony. Without the woman there is no harmony."
Pope Francis referenced the day's Gospel, which tells the story of a woman whose daughter is possessed by a demon. Even though she is at first rebuked by Jesus when she asks him to heal her daughter, she does not give up, saying "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps."
"This is the great gift of God: He has given us woman," the Pope said. "And in the Gospel, we have heard what a woman is capable of, eh? She is courageous, that one, eh? She went forward with courage."